Sacraments not limited by sin of ministers

Submitted on May 07, 2009

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dear father

Msgr. C. Eugene Morris

Q: Must a priest be free of mortal sin in order to consecrate the Eucharist, distribute Communion or administer any of the other sacraments?

In His infinite wisdom, God has structured the sacraments such that their power and effectiveness are not limited by the ministers who offer these sacraments. The sacraments are efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church for the dispensation of divine life. The sacraments are necessary for our salvation and without them we are not able to live the divine life to which we have been called.

Indeed, without baptism, we are not able to enter into the divine life Christ has gained for us on the cross. Understanding, then, the very essential nature of the sacramental economy, we can also understand the importance of and the answer to the question above.

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